You should anticipate purchasing bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, as required by your state. Additional coverage from collision, comprehensive, or personal injury coverage can help you protect your assets.
Need help determining how much car insurance you need? Get a personalized recommendation from an agent with Malhotra & Assoc. Insurance. Our experts will help you understand the value of your vehicle, your state requirements, and what coverage really means. Contact us today to learn more.
What are the State Coverage Requirements?
The amount of car insurance coverage you need will largely depend on what your state requires you to hold. Liability and property damage are first and foremost. Coverage minimums will vary state by state.
Each of these requirements will be expressed as a series of three numbers, such as 25/50/20. The first number is the maximum your insurance company agrees to pay in thousands of dollars per person or per vehicle you injure or damage in an accident. The second number is the maximum the insurance company will pay per accident. The third number represents your liability. For bodily injury liability, this would be a $25,000 payout per person injured and a $50,000 maximum if more than one person is injured.
Certain forms of car insurance may not be required in your state, like medical payments. States with no-fault insurance laws will require you to hold that coverage, but in some states, it is not mandatory. You will also want to purchase collision coverage even if it is not required in your state unless your car has depreciated to a value that makes the coverage not worth it.
Here are the minimum requirements for car insurance in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Maryland.
Ohio:
- Bodily Injury Liability – Minimum of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per occurrence
- Property Damage Liability – Minimum of $25,000
- Property Damage – Minimum of $25,000
- Uninsured Motorist Coverage – Minimum of $25,000
- Bodily Injury Coverage – Minimum of $50,000
- Bodily Injury Liability – Minimum of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident
- Property Damage Liability – Minimum of $10,000
- Bodily Injury Liability – Minimum of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident
- Property Damage Liability – Minimum of $15,000
What are the Types of Car Insurance Coverage?
There are six main types of car insurance.
Bodily Injury Liability
Bodily injury liability covers you if you injure a person or multiple people in an accident. Your insurance company will pay up to a set limit per person or per accident if multiple people have been injured. You may want to purchase an amount beyond the requirements of your state to help protect yourself if you are at fault in a serious accident. Given the costs of medical bills, your assets could be put in jeopardy if you did not choose a high enough coverage amount. You may want to purchase coverage in the range of 100/300/50 for added protection.
Property Damage Liability
When you damage another person’s vehicle, property damage liability will step in to cover the costs. Most state minimums are $20,000 or $25,000. You may want to purchase around $50,000 in property damage coverage. This will help protect your assets.
Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection
This coverage is to protect your driver and passengers in the event of an injury. Depending on how good your health insurance is, you may want to purchase more than the state minimum requirement for personal injury coverage. If you don’t have coverage, this could be a good safeguard.
Collision Coverage
Collision coverage pays for the repair or replacement of your car if you hit another vehicle. Your state will not require you to hold this coverage, but based on the value of your car, you could pay a relatively small deductible for full coverage. The lower the value of your car, the less sense it makes to purchase this coverage, as you would pay more for less value.
Comprehensive Coverage
Comprehensive coverage protects you from damages beyond collisions. That can include fire, vandalism, theft, flood, and more. Your state will not require you to hold this coverage, but you may need it if you are leasing your vehicle. If you live in a high-risk area, this coverage may be useful depending on how much your car is worth.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
This coverage protects you from financial despair in case you are in an accident and the other driver does not have car insurance or their insurance is not enough to cover your costs.
The team at Malhotra & Assoc. Insurance can help find you the car insurance you need. Contact us today for more information.
